Florida State defensive lineman Mario Williams Jr. was almost as good.

On the third day of workouts at the annual NFL scouting combine, Beasley pulled off an impressive double posting the fastest 40-yard dash time of the day at 4.53 seconds and sharing the title of most bench press reps at 225 pounds with 35.

Beasley did that despite weighing in at 246 pounds.

The 302-pound Williams, who played defensive tackle in college, did nearly as well. Though he did not lift Sunday, Williams was clocked at 4.97 seconds in the 40 the same time posted by Jameis Winston on Saturday and matching the fastest time turned in by an offensive lineman on Friday.

Edwards worked out in the afternoon and was turned in a 4.84 in the 40, finishing 13th out of 55 linemen, and his 32 reps were tied for fifth.

Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton had 34 reps and ran a 5.64. The only lineman with more reps was Deon Simon of Northwestern State in Louisiana, who had 35.

Florida linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. ran a 4.60 and had 19 reps while Nebraska linebacker Randy Gregory had a 4.64 and 24 reps.

Missouri defensive end Shane Ray had 21 reps but did not run. Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney ran a 4.66 and had just 16 reps, tied for the fewest among all linebackers who did the workout.

The defensive backs will work out today, which is the final day of the combine.

Poking and prodding

Utah receiver Kaelin Clay has moved on from the most embarrassing play of his college career.

First, he fessed up to making the mistake of celebrating before scoring against Oregon. Then he poked fun at himself by tweeting out a Valentine’s Day photo of the ball being dropped at the 1-yard line with the words “Don’t let go of our love.”

This weekend, he relived it again at the NFL combine.

Here, nothing is off limits. Some place between the poking and prodding of medical exams, on-field workouts and the circus-like interview sessions, the league’s decision-makers key make sure they ask the tough questions.

“Sure, you ask about that,” Hall of Fame general manager and ESPN analyst Bill Polian said. “You want to know what was their motivation, what were they thinking.”

Clay is one of the lucky ones. His merely has to explain a momentary lapse in judgment and what he’s done differently since that forgettable play.

Others in Indy must find answers to far more serious questions than a dropped ball.

Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham was asked about his dismissal from Missouri’s football team. Notre Dame receiver DaVaris Daniels said he worked out six days a week while missing all of last season because of an academic scandal. Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah dealt with questions about his propensity for fumbling.

Reporters even brought up videos Alabama receiver Amari Cooper and Michigan tight end-receiver Devin Funchess posted on Twitter. And Missouri defensive end Shane Ray couldn’t escape that vicious hit to the head on Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims in the SEC championship game, a play that drew an ejection.

“One thing I’ve learned from going after quarterbacks is, especially going to the NFL, I’ve got to aim a lot lower, and wrap up their legs instead of trying to get a hit on ’em, and just try and bring ’em to the ground,” Ray told reporters. “That would probably be the safest thing to do.”

NFL teams want to know everything about players. So when they start asking about corrective measures, they prefer actions to words.

Cornerback Marcus Peters can demonstrate his changes another way. After getting booted off Washington’s team in November, reportedly for a series of confrontations with the coaching staff including a sideline blowup, he returned to Seattle, met with the coaches and made amends. Now his pro-day workout is set for April 2 – on Washington’s campus and with the blessing of the football staff.

What do teams want to know?

“Am I a hothead? Which is false,” Peters said. “I made some immature decisions and I live from them and I learn from them, and I grow as a man.”

NFL executives view the embarrassment of a few bad plays much differently from other problems.

“If a guy has a blotter of things, they usually don’t change that,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese said. “But again, these kids are really young. They make some bad decisions. You can’t kill these kids, 18, 19, 20-year-old kids, on the decisions that they make.”

Especially if they happen on the field and in the heat of the moment.

“Look, everybody makes a mistake,” Polian said when asked about Clay’s dropped ball. “The deal is you don’t want the mistake repeated.”

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